The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3) by G. A. Henty (e book reading free TXT) 📕

Find Him Before He Is Ready To Embark. First We Will Push

Through The Forest To The Other Side; There We Will Question

The Inhabitants Concerning The Position Of The Nearest Rivers;

Then We Will Divide Into Parties And Go On The Search,  Appointing

A Place Of Rendezvous Where We May Rejoin Each Other.

It Can Hardly Be That We Shall Fail To Find Them If They

Have Taken That Way."

Before Entering The Forest They Obtained A Considerable

Store Of Provisions; For They Had No Idea Of Its Extent,  And

Had No Time To Spend In Hunting Game. The Forest Of

Ardennes Was At That Time Of Immense Size,  Extending From

Verdun And Metz On The South,  To Liege And Aix On The North.

Men Of The Present Day Would Have Found It Impossible

To Find Their Way Through,  But Would Speedily Have Been Lost

In Its Trackless Recesses; But The Saxons And Danes Were

Accustomed To Travel In Forests,  And Knew The Signs As Well As

Did The Red-Skins And Hunters Of The American Forests.

Therefore They Felt No Hesitation In Entering The Forest

Without A Guide.

The Danger Which Might Beset Them Was Of A Different

Kind. Immense Numbers Of The Inhabitants Of France,  Champagne,

And Burgundy Had Taken Refuge In The Forests,  Driving Their

Flocks And Herds Before Them. Here They Lived A Wild Life,

Hoping That The Emperor Would Ere Long Clear The

Country Of The Invaders. No Mercy Could Be Expected If

Edmund And His Party Fell In With A Number Of These Fugitives.

They Would Have No Time To Tell Their Story,  But Would

Be Attacked At Once As A Party Of Plundering Danes.

Knowing That The Horses Would Be An Encumbrance To

Them In The Forest,  They Were Sold To The Last Party Of

Northmen They Encountered Before Entering It,  And They

Pursued Their Way On Foot. The Greatest Caution Was Observed;

Every Sound Was Marked,  And At The Call Of A Human Voice,

The Low Of Cattle,  Or The Bleating Of Sheep,  They Turned Their

Course So As To Avoid Encounter With The Inhabitants Of The

Forest. They Lit No Fires At Night,  And Scarce A Word Was Spoken

On The March. Several Times They Had To Take Refuge In

Thickets When They Heard The Sound Of Approaching Voices,

And It Needed All Their Knowledge Of Woodcraft To Maintain

Their Direction Steadily Towards The North. At Last,  After Six

Days' Journey,  They Issued Out Into The Open Country Beyond

The Forest And Soon Arrived At A Cottage.

The Peasant Was Struck With Terror And Astonishment At

The Appearance Of Seven Danes; And He Could With Difficulty

Be Made To Understand That Their Object Was Neither Plunder

Nor Murder,  But That They Wished Only Information From Him

Of The Situation And Direction Of The Various Rivers Of The

Country. After Learning From Him All That He Knew Edmund

Arrived At The Conclusion That Sweyn Would Probably Attempt

To Descend Either By A Branch Of The Moselle,  And So To The

Rhine On The Right,  Or By One Of The Maas On The Left Of The

Place At Which They Had Emerged From The Forest.

Edmund Decided To Strike The Maas,  And To Follow Its

Course Up Into The Forest,  Taking With Him One Of The Danes

And Two Of His Saxons,  And To Send The Others To Search The

Banks Of The Tributary Of The Moselle. Before Starting He Sent

The Peasant To The Nearest Village To Purchase Garments Of

The Country For The Whole Party. He Had Already Told The

Man That They Were Not Danes But Saxons,  The Bitter Enemies

Of The Northmen,  And That He Had Been Aiding In The Defence

Of Paris Against Them.

The Peasant Did Not Doubt What Edmund Told Him,  For

The Conduct Of His Visitors Was So Opposed To All That He Had

Heard Of The Doings Of The Danes That He Well Believed They

Could Not Belong To That Nation. He Was Away Some Hours,

And Returned With The Required Dresses. Having Put These

On,  And Laying Aside Their Helmets And Shields,  The Two Parties

Started,  The Danes Alone Carrying With Them Their Former

Garments. The Next Day Edmund Arrived At The River,  And At

Once Followed Its Course Upwards,  For Sweyn And His Party

Would Be Building Their Ships In The Forest.

They Had Not Proceeded Many Miles Before They Heard

The Sound Of Axes. Edmund Gave An Exclamation Of Delight.

It Was Almost Certain That He Had Hit Upon Sweyn's Track,  For

It Was Unlikely That Any Of The Inhabitants Of The Country Would

Have Gone So Far Into The Forest For Timber. They Now Moved

With The Greatest Caution,  And As They Approached The Place

Whence The Sound Proceeded Edmund Halted The Two Saxons

And Bade Them Conceal Themselves. The Dane Resumed

His Own Garments And Put On His Helmet And Shield; And Then,

Taking Advantage Of Every Clump Of Undergrowth,  And Moving

With The Greatest Caution,  He And Edmund Made Their Way Forward.

Presently They Came Within Sight Of An Animated Scene.

A Large Number Of Trees Had Been Felled By The Banks Of

The River And Three Hundred Northmen Were Busily At Work.

The Frames Of Two Great Galleys Had Already Been Set Up,  And

They Were Now Engaged In Chopping Out Planks For Their Sides.

Two Huts Were Erected In The Middle Of The Clearing. One

Was Large,  And Sweyn's Banner Floated From A Spear Before It.

The Other Which Stood Close By Was Much Smaller,  And

Edmund Doubted Not That This Was Appropriated To Freda.

Nothing More Could Be Done Now--Their Object Was So

Far Attained; And Retiring They Joined The Two Saxons And Made

Their Way Along The River Bank Till They Reached The Edge Of

The Forest. One Of The Saxons Was Now Sent Off To The Peasant's

Hut,  Where He Was To Remain Until The Return Of The Other

Party,  And Was Then To Bring Them On To The Spot Which

Edmund Had Chosen For His Encampment. This Was In The

Heart Of A Large Clump Of Underwood Extending Down To The

River.

The Brushwood Was So Thick That It Was Entered With

Difficulty,  And No Passer-By Would Dream That A Party Was

Hidden Within It. Near The Stream Edmund And His Companions

With Their Swords Soon Cleared Away A Circle,  And With

The Boughs Constructed An Arbour. A Thin Screen Of Bushes

Separated Them From The River,  But They Could See The Water,

And None Could Pass Up Or Down Unperceived.

The Saxon Was Charged To Bring With Him On His Return

A Considerable Supply Of Provisions,  For It Would Have Been

Dangerous To Wander In The Woods In Pursuit Of Game. The

Northmen Had,  Edmund Noticed,  Some Cattle With Them; But

They Would Be Sure To Be Hunting In The Woods,  As They Would

Wish To Save The Cattle For Provision On Their Voyage. It Was

Nightfall Before The Hut Was Completed; And As They Had

Journeyed Far For Many Days Edmund Determined To Postpone An

Attempt To Discover What Was Passing In Sweyn's Camp Until

The Following Evening.

The Day Passed Quietly,  And Towards Evening Edmund

And The Dane Started For Sweyn's Camp. When They Approached

It They Saw Many Fires Burning,  And The Shouting

And Singing Of The Norsemen Rang Through The Forest. They

Waited Until The Fires Burnt Down Somewhat And They Could

See Many Of The Danes Stretching Themselves Down By Them.

Then Edmund's Companion Proceeded To The Camp.

Anxious As Edmund Was Himself To Learn What Was Doing,

He Restrained His Impatience,  For It Was Safer That The

Northman Should Go Alone. In The Dull Light Of The Dying

Fires His Features Would Be Unnoticed,  And His Tongue Would

Not Betray Him If Spoken To. Siegbert Had Commended Him

As A Crafty And Ready Fellow,  And Edmund Felt That He Would

Be Able To Gather More Information Than He Could Do Himself.

From His Place Of Concealment He Kept His Eyes Fixed On

The Northman's Figure. Presently He Saw Him Enter The Clearing,

And Sauntering Slowly Across It Throw Himself Down Near

A Fire By Which A Party Of Danes Were Still Sitting Talking.

One By One These Lay Down,  And When The Last Had Done

So The Northman Rose Quietly And Stole Out Again Into The

Forest. When He Rejoined Edmund The Latter Set Forward With

Him,  And Not A Word Was Spoken Until They Were Some Distance

From The Camp; Then Edmund Stopped.

"What Have You Learned?" He Asked.

"All That There Is To Learn,  I Think," The Northman Replied.

"The Lady Freda Is,  As You Supposed,  A Captive In The

Little Hut. Two Men Only Keep Watch Over It By Day,  But At

Night Six Lie Around It,  Two Being Always On Foot. They Speak

In Admiration Of Her Courage And Spirit. She Has Sworn To

Sweyn That She Will Slay Herself If He Attempts To Use Violence

To Force Her To Marriage With Him,  And They Doubt Not That

She Will Keep Her Word. However,  They Believe That She Will

Grow Tired Out At Last When She Finds That There Is No Hope

Whatever Of A Rescue. The Ships Are Being Built For A Long Sea

Voyage,  For Sweyn Is Going To Lead Them To Join The Viking

Hasting In The Mediterranean,  And Has Promised His Men

The Plunder Of Countries Ten Times Richer Than France Or

England. With So Long An Expedition In View,  They May Well

Think That The Lady Freda's Resolution Will Soon Give Way,  And

That She May Come To See That The Position Of The Wife Of A

Bold Viking Is A Thousand Times Preferable To That Of A Captive.

Many Of The Men Loudly Express Their Wonder Why She

Would Refuse The Love Of So Valiant A Warrior As Sweyn."

The News Was At Once Good And Bad. Edmund Did Not

Fear Freda's Resolution Giving Way For A Long Time,  But The

News That Sweyn Intended To Carry Her Upon So Distant An

Expedition Troubled Him. It Was Of Course Possible That He

Might Intercept Them With The Dragon At The Mouth Of The

Maas,  But It Was Uncertain Whether The Ship Would Arrive At

The Mouth Of The Rhine In Time To Be Brought Round Before

The Northmen Descended. The Length Of Her Voyage Would

Depend Entirely On The Wind. Were This Favourable When She

Reached The Mouth Of The Seine,  A Week Would Carry Her To

Her Destination. Should It Be Unfavourable There Was No Saying

How Long